A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Lion

Goodwell Nzou, a doctoral student at Wake Forest University, in his article In Zimbabwe, We Don't Cry for Lions effectively claims that Americans and those who are not aware of the place of animals in Zimbabwe, should not believe their romanticized ideas of animals in native cultures. He first supports his claim by asserting that the killing of many different animals in Zimbabwe and other African countries is completely normal. He does this by stating,” My excitement was doused when I realized that the lion killer was being painted as a villain. I faced the starkest cultural contradiction I’d experience during my five years studying in the US” (Nzou). This statement appeals to pathos in that it uses different types of imagery and diction to …show more content…
Did Jimmy Kimmel choke up because Cecil was murdered or because he confused him with Simba from “The Lion King”” (Nzou). This follows his assertion that Americans don't comprehend the situation and how it affects The Zimbabweans. This quote appeals to pathos by using allusions and uses rhetorical questions. He alludes first to Jimmy Kimmel, saying that Kimmel does not comprehend the situation and just how lions have affected those in Zimbabwe. In addition he also provides an allusion to “The Lion King” which gives the reader a perspective of just how unreasonable and make-believe our arguments sound by comparing it to childrens movie. He also uses rhetorical questions which help the reader to think about the subject and to rethink their ideas about the topic. Lastly, He wraps up his argument by explaining that Americans should not force their opinions of certain topics without first understanding why the killing of Cecil wasn't a big deal or something to worry about. Nzou writes,” The American tendency to romanticize animals that have been given actual names and to jump onto a hashtag train has turned an ordinary situation… into what seems to my Zimbabwean eyes an absurdist circus”